Aches
by Psycho Rooster
Summary: Still adjusting to his life as the Green Ranger, Ziggy finds himself unable to sleep.


He couldn't see the other rangers, too engrossed in his own fight with three grinders to take note of his teammates' positions. Ziggy gasped for air, thankful for the fresh oxygen that was constantly being pumped into his suit and throwing off another fist to his face. The grinders' punches and kicks were too fast and the scrawny ranger could barely keep up with the machines, flailing here and there to keep himself alive. He cried out when one of the robots suddenly jumped onto his back, a mechanical arm wrapping around his throat and bringing Ziggy to his knees. Clawing at the grinder, Ziggy called out for help, getting nothing but the generic whirs and clicks of the surrounding grinders. He choked, gasping and trying to throw off his attacker - but to no avail. His vision darkened, splotching at the corners of his eyes as Ziggy felt himself slowly being denied the ability to breathe.

With a sharp inhale, Ziggy shot forward in bed, grabbing his throat and sucking air in greedily when he found nothing there to constrict his breathing. Sagging, the brunet flopped back onto his bed, eyes falling shut in relief at having realized the entire ordeal was just another dream his subconscious had conjured up. His body ached something awful, the pains of his first days as a ranger becoming quite evident in the way his arms and legs seemed to cramp up with every movement he made. Even his abdomen protested the action of sitting up as Ziggy rolled out of bed. Deciding it would be a good idea to get a glass of water, he shuffled his way out of his bedroom, calves and thighs screaming in protest with each step he took.

Becoming a ranger wasn't as simple as it had first seemed. The past few nights had been filled with grinder-swarmed dreams and body aches in places that Ziggy never thought he'd have pain in. Dillon didn't seem to share his agony - given that the black ranger was a hybrid and probably didn't even experience things like sore muscles - and the other three had been rangers long enough that Ziggy doubted they still woke up from nightmares about their battle experiences.

Ziggy shuffled his way through the base and to the kitchen, surprised when he caught sight of a pajama-clad Summer perched at the table with a glass of milk cradled in her hands. She glanced up, smiling gently at Ziggy and giving him a nod in greeting. Ziggy rose an arm to wave at her, but allowed it to flop uselessly at his side when his upper arm gave a pained objection.

"Need something?" The yellow ranger asked softly.

"Just some water, that's all." Ziggy grinned, heading for the cabinets and leaning heavily against the counter to raise a weak arm and retrieve a glass. He groaned pathetically to himself, scooting sideways towards the sink and using the tap to pour himself some water. Summer hummed thoughtfully, watching as Ziggy's hands seemed to shake with the effort it took to bring the drink up to his lips.

"Feeling sore?" Her voice was laced with sympathy and Ziggy almost dropped his glass in surprise, setting down the cup with a loud clink and turning to protest. He stopped mid-word when his gaze caught with her all-knowing smile. Shoulders sagging, Ziggy nodded weakly and shuffled over to the table with his glass. He set the drink down beside her milk, pulling out a chair and plunking down in it.

"I - honestly- don't know how you guys can do it!" He burst out suddenly, arms jerking forth with a flail and wincing when it strained his right bicep. Summer grinned into her milk, drinking from it and setting the glass down again. Ziggy nursed his arm, lips pulled back into a grimace. "I-I mean, its been three days and I feel like I'm gonna fall apart!" He moaned the last part, slumping and thudding his head on the table. Summer reached a hand out to pet Ziggy's hair affectionately, trying to offer some comfort to the distraught new ranger.

"It took me a while to get used to it too. Flynn didn't sleep very well the first few nights either." Running her fingers through messy brown locks, Summer scratched at Ziggy's scalp and held back a laugh at the way the ex-mobster leaned contently into the touch. "I'm sure you have nightmares too." Ziggy nodded into her hand, reaching up to rest his arms on the table. Summer's smile contorted into a sympathetic coo. "Don't worry, those will go away too." Withdrawing her hand, much to Ziggy's dismay, Summer patted his arm.

"Come on then, lets do some stretches." Ziggy picked his face up from the table to stare at her blankly, mouth slightly agape. Summer laughed, grabbing the scrawny ranger's elbow and hauling Ziggy to his feet. "Come on!" Ziggy stumbled, knocking his chair back accidentally and wincing when it clattered to the kitchen floor. Rolling her eyes, Summer made sure Ziggy was standing before holding her arms out to the sides.

"Okay, stretch your arms out like this, and then go above your head and turn to the side." Ziggy mimicked Summer as she tilted her body to the side, wincing heavily when he felt the muscles in his abdomen scream in protest. He tensed, feeling a cramp coming on when Summer pressed a hand to his stomach. "Don't clench your muscles, relax." Ziggy's stomach flipped nervously - not used to being touched in a manner other than violent -- and he gave a flustered squeak, jerking back from Summer's hand.

"I-I got this. I got this." Nodding to himself, Ziggy sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, his body relaxing and trying the maneuver again. From his hips to the underneath his arm, Ziggy felt his muscles stretch with a dull ache that both hurt and felt relieving at the same time. He groaned low, moving so that it pulled the muscles a tiny bit more. He grimaced, grunting and wiggling his fingertips.

"Good, Good." Summer said, motioning for him to relax. Ziggy stood straight and flopped his arms to his sides with a loud sigh. Summer laughed softly, motioning for him to spread his legs out the slightest bit. "Hold your arms out like this, make your stance wide, and turn." She brought him through another series of stretches until nearly an hour had passed. When they'd finished, it was close to four in the morning and Summer was yawning more than she was talking.

"Keep stretching like that when you're in pain, and don't worry --" she yawned, "It gets easier with time." Ziggy nodded, looking indecisive for a moment before he stepped forward to give her a hug.

"Thanks, I really appreciate this." Ziggy's voice fluctuated towards the end, breaking off into a yawn as he stepped back. Summer gave Ziggy a shooing motion and, feeling far better than he had when he'd woken up, Ziggy returned to his room to sleep heavily the rest of the night.


End file.
